1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure is related to the field of set-top boxes, and, in particular, to set-top boxes including a soft control feature.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Set-top boxes are used in a wide variety of consumer applications. For example, satellite television set-top boxes are used to receive, decode, and display satellite television signals on a television. Many set-top boxes include remote controls capable of controlling the set-top box in a wide variety of manners. These remote controls are often complex and include a large quantity of buttons or other controls. In contrast, the set-top box itself often has a very limited set of controls built into the box, since it is designed for control exclusively by the remote control.
Current set-top boxes typically include a power switch, and perhaps a small number of very simple control buttons, such as for incrementing and decrementing the presently tuned channel. Since the remote controls are typically smaller than the set-top box, and are often wireless devices, they may be located separately from the set-top box, making them vulnerable to misplacement. When a remote control is lost, the user is left without any control over the set-top box other than the very limited controls built into the box.